Introduction: What is international Business? Globalization: Issues and Challenges

Session
Module/Topics
Readings and Assignments

1

Introduction: What is international Business? Globalization: Issues and
Challenges

Objective 1: Construct a global approach to the process of business management.

Objective 8: Identify forces impacting on what global business managers and
Required Reading

Bourguignon, F. (2016). Inequality and globalization. Foreign Affairs, 95(1), 11.

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Freeland, C. (2015). Globalization bites back. Atlantic, 315(4), 82.

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Paasschen, F. V. (2015). Globalization from a business leader’s point of view. Brown Journal of World Affairs, 22(1), 175-189.

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leaders need to know in uncertain times.

Competency: Effective
Communication; Critical
Thinking; Information
Literacy/Research; Team
Building
Salam, R. (2016). Better days for globalization. National Review, 68(4), 18.

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The next stage of globalization (2016). Trends Magazine, (155), 17-27.

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Gatehouse, J., Gillis, C., & Hayden, S. (2016). Now you’ve done it. Maclean’s, 129(27/28), 4044.

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“Debating the merits of globalization.” An activist, a business executive and a government trade official state their views. Read the two pages posted in eR, (click on Cavusgil, S. International Business: The new realities.)

Required Media

Pankaj Ghemawat, “Actually, the world isn’t flat.” TED Talk, June
2012.http://www.ted.com/talks/pankaj_ghemawat_actually_the_world_isn_t_flat.html

(12 min. Transcript of talk is available in eight languages on the TED web site.)

DHL Global Connectedness Index 2014: Where does globalization stand today?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9suOHQKcUeo

Recommended Reading

Blog post by Pankaj Ghemawat dated November 3, 2014″How globalized is the world today?”

Download the report “Megatrends 2015: Making sense of a world in motion” fromhttp://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/ey-megatrends-report-2015/$FILE/ey-

megatrends-report-2015.pdf,scan Chapter 3: Global Marketplace” and graphic “Globalmarketplace” from Ernst & Young Global Limited.

Industries in 2015. A special report from The Economist Intelligence Unit(http://goo.gl/bM2PfS)

Assignments

Discussions: Individual Activity

See this Session’s Discussions for assignment details.

Topic 1. Globalization Issues and Challenges.

Based on the videos, required readings, and research, discuss the following questions:

Present three major viewpoints on the future of international business and globalization. The viewpoints are reflected in the “debate” (posted in eR) between an activist/critic, a business executive, and a government trade official. The simulation requires you to take the position of either the CEO/business executive or the social critic. Assess the major viewpoints and arguments critically: What are the issues? What are the value conflicts and assumptions behind the stated positions? Does globalization improve the lives of people in developed and developing nations?

Go to http://www.ey.com/GL/en/Issues/Driving-growth/Globalization—Looking-beyond-theobvious. Use the Globalization Index Charting Toolto compare/contrast the two countries you chose on the 5 key categories. Discuss briefly: How globalized are we? What is being measured and why is accuracy important?

There may be potentially negative consequences for foreign companies conducting crossborder business. Given the new limitations from host governments or politics facing foreign investors, what accommodations to reduce risk should these companies consider in entering an emerging market?

Topic 2. What international challenges impact a specific industry of your choice?

Discuss two of the factors that may impact a specific industry of your choice.

To select an industry: A good place to start is:

http://globaledge.msu.edu/global-insightsand click on “Insights by industry.” Select an industry, read the information on the industry.

Research further the industry you selected by using the UMUC Library’s Standard & Poor’s
(S&P) NetAdvantage database, available from
http://ezproxy.umuc.edu/login?url=http://www.netadvantage.standardandpoors.com/ or by clicking on the link for that database from the alphabetic database list at http://www.umuc.edu/library/libresources/

In the S&P NetAdvantage database, click on the Industries tab in the blue menu bar toward the top of the page. Select one of the 50+ industries listed on the page. For the industry you selected, read the information on “Current Environment” and “Industry Trends.” Try using the some of the other databases available to research the industry.

The choice of industry is yours. It is first-come, first-served. “Reserve” your industry quickly. Post a response in Conferences to Topic 2. In the “Subject” box/line state the industry you selected. You must pick different industries.

Support your arguments in all posts with the data and concepts from the readings, videos, and scholarly / reliable non-scholarly research!

Topic 3: In the News!

Post one news source in Session 1 – In the News! and explain briefly how the news story bears on this Session’s course topics.

session_1_discussion_activity